Shoe fitting device



Aug. 8, 1933. E. J. BLISS SHOE FITTING DEVICE Filed Feb. 26, 1951 2Sheets-Sheet l I II'IHI 7 a 51 m: w v.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1931 "'IIIHII if jive 72502 PatentedAug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES SHOE FITTING DEVICE tion of MassachusettsApplication February 26, 1931. Serial No. 517,799

5 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of fitting shoes to the human foot andis intended to provide a simple and reliable device for comparing theoverall length measurement of a foot, that is to be fitted, with anappropriate shoe and the effective inside length measurement of a shoethat is appropriate to fit the foot being measured.

Generally speaking, the invention comprises a pair of arms pivotallyconnected together intermediately of their ends, the opposed memhere onone side of the pivot being formed as an outside caliper to gauge theoverall length of an interposed foot, while the portions of the arms onthe opposite side of the pivotal axis are disposed to form an insidecalipering gauge arranged to gauge the inside length of a shoe, the armsbeing provided respectively with an indicating pointer and a coordinatedlength-size scale arranged to indicate the same length measurements whencalipering the overall lengthof the foot and the inside lengthmeasurement when calipering the inside length of the shoe that is ofappropriate length to fit said foot. This and other features of theinvention will be particularly described in the following specificationand will be defined in the claims hereto annexed.

In the accomapnying drawings are shown two forms of the invention, bothof which embody substantially the same construction of foot caliperingmeans, but one of which has the inside shoe calipering means adapted tomeasure the inside length of a mans shoe, while the other form of theinvention is intended to give the inside length measurement of a shoehaving a higher type of heel.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view of my improved device for comprising the lengthmeasurement of a foot with the inside length measurement of a shoe ofthe low heel type.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form adapt ed for use in caliperinga shoe of the high heel type.

Fig. 5 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the same.

While the drawings show how the caliper maybe applied to a foot that ishearing the weight of the person, and it is preferred to apply it inthis manner, yet obviously the caliper might be used when the foot israised.

In the practice of the invention according to the illustration of thedrawings, the device consists of two crossed arms 1 and 2 that arepivotally connected together intermediate of their ends. 'The uppermembers of the arms are of a substantially convex form and dimensionedto caliper or gauge against the rear of the heel and the tip of thegreat toe, these members being provided with suitable gauging surfaces 4and 5 to facilitate positioning the gauge properly over the foot in alengthwise direction.

The opposite members l and 2= of the re- 6 spective crossed arms are ofunequal length and have a rather concave form to present their measuringtips 6 and '7 in an outwardly projecting manner to facilitate insertionof the gauge inside of the shoe so as to form gauging contact of theshorter member with the heel and of the longer member with, the toerespectively;

As is well known, shoes for human feet are made somewhat longer than thefoot to leave a clearance space in the toe portion to prevent contact orpressure of the great toe against the tip of the shoe. This extra lengthor clearance space is called the extension and is usually made about twolength-sizes or two-thirds of an inch in actual measurement, althoughthe amount of extension varies greatly with different lasts. compensatefor this extension an extra detachable tip is applied to the outer endof calipering member 2 as by a pin and socket joint, so that the actualdistance from the end of the member 2 without the detachable tip, to thecalipering tip 6 of the member 1 will correspond exactly to the distancemeasurement between the two calipering faces 4 and 5.

One of the calipering members 1 for example, is provided with aprojecting indicator or pointer 8, while the other calipering memberadjacent to the pointer is provided with a lengthsize indicating scale 9over which the pointer travels as the arms are moved into caliperingposition. The indicating scale is laid out so that in measuring a No.'6ora No. 8, or other size length of foot, the pointer will register withsuch number. Since the overall distance from the outer end of onecalipering member 2 to the outer end or tipof the other insidecalipering member 1 inany given position of adjustment is the same asthe inside measurement between calipering faces 4 and 5 and, since theextension tip fills the extension or clearance space in the shoe beyondthe tip of the inserted foot, it will be seen thatthe length-size, whenmeasuring the length of an interposed foot, indicated on the scale willbe the same as when measuring the insidelength of a shoe,

provided that shoe is of appropriate length to fit the foot beingmeasured.

The device forms a very simple, convenient and convincing means fordemonstrating to the customer, who insists upon too long or too short ashoe, usually the latter, that the shoe selected by him is not theproper length for his foot. For example, if a customer, whose footlength measurement calls for a No. 8 shoe, insists that he should have aNo. 7 shoe, the salesman with this caliper can visually demonstrate tothe customer the overall length measurement in length-sizes of his footand then calipering the inside of the No. 7 shoe will clearlydemonstrate the difference in length measurement. Whereas, with theproper length of shoe the inside and the outside calipering willregister or indicate the same identical length-size. The foot should becalipered when standing.

In measuring high heeled shoes, such as are very commonly worn by women,the marked curvature of the sole or bottom of the shoe must becompensated for, since obviously the foot following this markedly curvedcontour of the shoe bottom from the heel to the toe really gives afore-shortened measurement between the heel and the tip of the toe. Tomeet this situation and compensate for the fore-shortening to the curvedline that the foot assumes, there is provided a modified constructionfor use in connection with the fitting of high heel shoes.

This form is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6. So far as the upper or outsidecalipering members 10 and 11 are concerned, they are constructedsubstantially like the arms 1 and 2 above described, but the downwardextension 10 of arm 10 is more nearly straight, as is the downwardextension 11 of arm 11. To the lower end of member 11 is secured a thinspring metal gauging member .15 to whose outer end is secured theextension tip or block 15 in any suitable way as by a fastening screwpassing into the bottom of the block through strip 15.

Now, it will be observed that the higher the heel is raised by this typeof shoe, the greater will be the curvature of the arched middle portionof the bottom and therefore the shorter will be the straight linedistance between the heel and the toe. Since this spring arm or member15, whose forward movement is limited by contact of the tip 15' with thetip of the shoe toe, the spring tends to follow the contour of the shoebottom, as shown in Fig. 4, but in any case the salesman making themeasurement can press this spring member into contact with theintermediate arched portion of the shoe bottom so as to fully compensatefor the foreshortening of the straight line distance between verticallines passing through the heel and through the toe of the shoe.

Now it is a well known fact that the lengthsize numbering of shoes isnot based on a uniform standard. A shoe marked by one manufacturer as aNo. 8 may be, and often is, actually of shorter length measurment than ashoe marked No. 7 by some other manufacturer, so that it is natural thatthe customer should be misled as to the actual length of shoe required.

With the use of the present device, however, it is possible to test anyselected shoe in comparison with the actual length-size measurement ofthe foot to be fitted and demonstrate whether the selected shoe, nomatter how it may be size numbered, is of appropriate length to fit thefoot being measured. The device, therefore, does away with alluncertainty due to lack of uniform size numbering and insures thecustomer a proper length of shoe in a manner that can be readily andvisually demonstrated to the customer when selecting his shoe, and it isnot even necessary for the customer to try on the shoe to demonstratewhether or not the shoe selected of the appropriate length.

The device would be most eifective and free from liability to err-orwhen the shoes are marked or numbered according to the length-size ofthe foot which it is intended to fit.

What I claim is: a

l. A shoe fitting-device embracing in its construction, crossed armspivotally connected intermediate of their ends, the members of the armson one side of the pivot being formed to caliper the overall length ofan interposed foot, the members of said arms on the opposite side of thepivot being formed and dimensioned to be inserted in a shoe to caliperthe inside length thereof, one of said shoe-calipering members beingprovided with a tip corresponding to the usual clearance space in thetoe of a shoe, one of said arms being provided with a length-size scaleand the other arm being provided with an indicating pointer forindicating the length-size measurement of the foot being calipered andof the shoe being measured.

2. A shoe fitting device embracing in its construction, a pair ofcrossed arms pivotally connected together intermediate of their ends,the members on one side of the pivot being adapted to form caliperingcontact with the heel and toe, respectively, of an interposed foot, oneof said arms being provided with a length-size scale and the other armbeing provided with an indicator movable in proximity to said scale toindicate the length-size measurements of the foot, the members on theother side of the pivot from the foot-calipering members being disposedto be inserted in and caliper the length-size of a shoe, both caliperingmembers being dimensioned to have the same calipering distance when setin any given indicating position, and a detachable tip member securedtoone of the shoecalipering members to compensate for the extensionspace in the toe of the shoe being calipered.

3. A shoe fitting device embracing in its construction, a pair ofcrossed arms pivotally connected together at their crossing pointsintermediate of their ends, one of said arms being provided with alength-size scale, the other arm being provided with a length-sizepointer movable along said scale, the members on one side of the centerbeing disposed to caliper the overall length of a foot, the members onthe other side of said center being of unequal length and disposed tocaliper the inside length of a shoe, the longer of said shoe-caliperingmembers including a flexible strip arranged to project into the forepart of the shoe and adapted to follow the profile of the shoe bottomwhereby correct length measurement is obtained with varying heights ofheel on the shoe.

e. A shoe fitting device embracing in its construction, a pair ofcrossed arms formed to provide on one side of the center foot-caliperingmembers and on the other side of the center shoe-calipering meansembracing rigid members, one of which is provided with a flexible springextension provided at its outer end with a clearanee block dimensionedto correspond with the size extension provided in said shoe, therespecwith outwardly facing contact surfaces arranged, when inserted inthe shoe, to form calipering contact with the toe and the heel portionof the shoe, respectively, one of the crossed arms being provided with ashoe-size scale and the other crossed arm having a pointer movable oversaid shoe-size scale to register the same lengthsize on said scale whenthe foot calipers are calipering an interposed foot and when the shoecalipers are calipering the interior of a shoe of appropriate size tofit said foot.

ELMER J. BLISS.

